Looking for advice - "Black" subject matter and dark-blue polishable paint

Edbert

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So I am making an X-15. Have had it painted with Surfacer-1500 (black) but have been afraid to put any color on it yet.

Been watching footage where I can, and lots of still shots. The surface is a strange metallic mixture of black/blue/metal/gray/silver and a bit of everything.

My thought is the base coat should be a super-dark blue, one very durable that I'll need to cover mostly, as well as polish like with a T-shirt. Thinking that indicates a lacquer, am I on the right track?

If so, the options are myriad, so I'm looking for recommendations or ideas.

1747001663642.png
(a shot from the world's greatest museum to show what I mean)
 
Pinging back to the top, easy to miss things sometimes.

Then again maybe there's no good way to do this?
 
IMHO, the thing with black is that you don't want to be painting it actually black, except for shadows on it. I think I would paint an X-15 by mixing black and dark blue to make a very dark blue, and then add an overall wash of black to shade it and create the impression that it's black when it actually isn't. If you think it's actually a metallic-ish colour, maybe mix a little silver into the base coat, too?

Durable finish is not too hard: don't use water-based airbrush-ready paints, like Vallejo, Mig, Hatatakatakaka…ta? etc. Tamiya or Mr. Aqueous acrylics should be strong enough, though.
 
If this was mine to paint, I would start with a color like Glossy Sea Blue (Vallejo) or Tamiya XF-17 (Sea Blue )

If it feels too blue, just mix in a tiny bit of black. Vallejo will be dark, but just a bit "bluer" than Tamiya which is a nearly black blue.

I would just gloss coat rather than "polish". Vallejos has a glossy finish already

Paint over a black base/primer
It will shift even more black vs painting over white/grey as well as give some shading


some panels where it looks like the gloss is gone you might add a touch of silver or gun metal or even burnt iron (or add later with weathering )


1747850814313.png

I would then do a panel wash in light grey/silver and then finally us some Tamiya gun-metal weathering powder to give it that metallic sheen on raised edges/curved areas
these are like an oil based powder that is great for weathering
1747851187743.png
 
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Tamiya XF-17 (Sea Blue )

Tamiya which is a nearly black blue
I can second this if you haven't used this color before. I recently purchased XF - 17 for the first time to use my decks, way too black for that purpose.
 
I have used XF-17 and agree it is too dark for things like a Corsair/Hellcat, but too light for the X-15. I'm positive I can mix it to be dark enough, was skeptical that I could buff it to a sheen, which is short of a shine :)

It was another $15 kit, so no tears if I muff it up, but another of my beloved subjects that nobody makes any more, so my options are limited.
 
I would not try to mix a metallic paint with a non-metallic. It might work, or it might be a horrific mess. What I would do for the metallic sheen is use a dry metallic pigment buffed into the black/blue-black after it has cured. I suspect a very small amount is all that's needed.
 
I did a recent experiment mixing metallics with clears, all within the "X" line of products. I've heard/read that mixing X & XF is not advised. But this was X-31 with some X-26 and X-27 mixed in.

1747921386307.png

It is my "basic brass" color but reddened up a bit to be more copperish. The paint does settle quickly, so proper agitation is required, but other than that, nothing noticeably different. YMMV.
 
As a painter, I can tell you, the use of blue is an artistic approach to improving black
or representing black in many artworks. In fact, all you are doing is representing a reflection.
Many black surfaces have a sheen or shine that reflects the colours around, like the blue of sky.

First off, the X-15 is definitely black...or maybe gray, if you like the weathered look.
Other than the reflected ambience of colour, there is no other colour in the surface paint.

The X-15 is not "a strange metallic mixture of black/blue/metal/gray/silver and a bit of everything".
Why would the USAF do that? Especially since it's just a test vehicle and gets covered with ablative material for most flights.

I got up close to the X-15 in Washington Air & Space Museum and took these photos.
The X-15 is most definitely black...straight black...but with a lot of weathered gray effect.
And that weathered effect is probably mostly the burned off and stripped ablated coating.
Sure, there is probably a lot of repainting and touch-up, but the Museums tend to use the exact same colours and paint
(since they have access to original codes and supplies that still exist)

x15-detail-davewinfield (3)_1811x1200.jpg

x15-detail-davewinfield (1)_1811x1200.jpg

x15-detail-davewinfield (2)_1811x1200.jpg
 
Love the pictures Dave, thanks for those!

The X-15 is not "a strange metallic mixture of black/blue/metal/gray/silver and a bit of everything".
Why would the USAF do that? Especially since it's just a test vehicle and gets covered with ablative material for most flights.

You're right of course. I know they were delivered in black, but it only lasted until the first flight. I should have stated it otherwise.

After a few flights and definitely after many, the black was nearly gone in some areas, burnt off to resemble more of a stain than anything. You last picture show what I mean. But here's an operational picture that shows the surface color in worn condition. Perhaps the bright sunshine is exaggerating it some versus the indoor lighting.

1747926758004.png


1747926675461.png

Another shot of 66671 this time in overcast, and I do not see much brown/rust/magnesium color here as on others, but the wear is greater than the 1st pic of the same aircraft. I am totally gonna put the high-vis orange on my tanks.

All of that said, a nice clean as-delivered black rocket-plane would still be cool, and 100x easier.

1747927063003.png
 
100x easier.
Isn't that always the case with models, though? :) You can paint every part of your model in the exact colours it had one the real thing, but the end result will look like a toy. Paint it in slightly different shades, and not all parts exactly the same one, then add shadows and highlights, and it will look much more real despite being technically less accurate.
 
As someone who has shaded (industry term for color matching) paint professionally, I can say that color is in the eye and mind of the beholder … and the environment … and the ambient light … and …

If it looks right, it is right. Another person may disagree. At that point, it's time to compare the two individual's color perception. When I was in the industry, professional shaders had their color vision checked not less than once a year, some as frequently as every three months.
 
I think this is definitely a case of painting how it "looks to the eye" vs exact color matching

If you want to go for the closer color match, Nato Black might be a good color to represent "scale" black

But as you see, depending on light and what is being reflected around it (like the sky, or in shade), the "perceived" color shifts to blue and even a bit of brown here and there or grey

So really you can pick the look you'd like to represent

for example, if you like this look, go with something like Tamiya Nato Black and mix in some gun metal or silver for weathering and use a grey/silver for panel line washes
1747941357035.png

if you like this look more go with the XF-17 type color

1747941442550.png

Both are completely valid as either can be justified by choosing what environment and lighting condition you are representing
 
I've seen cars painted with those ultra-black colors, like at a car show with million dollar builds present. It is just weird how well it works, seriously! I think you could dilute it for a model where you want nothing seen, perhaps a long intake? But that picture is not kidding, it is dark defined, since all colors are just reflected light.

A few years ago I think BMW had the most ultra ultra-black. It cost thousands of dollars per pint, similar to those high-end color-shifting automotive paints.

Edit: ...and now you can buy a BMW with it https://www.bmw.com/en/design/the-bmw-X6-vantablack-car.html

Edit2: No you cannot, that paint is illegal :) (found out when trying to find the cost)
 
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Only areas I see that are faded, not burnt, are the wing tops.
Other "faded" areas are panels that are regularly removed and/or replaced and show wear and tear in that respect.
Both photos are pre-flight, at least the first one is.
And this is altitude and early flights, not the record breaking high speed flights appearance.
For those, the entire X-15 was in white ablative coating.

Obviously those types of high speed, high altitude flights are going to have some effect on the paint finish.
But the black wasn't anything special as far as I know.
In fact it was regularly repainted black if it wasn't a test area.

On some flights there was a special paint applied to specific panels and rudder surfaces.
- probably includes wing top or bottom.
This paint was a reddish colour coated with a white (probably ablative paint) and then a top coat.
The purpose to see how much burn through appeared under certain flight conditions.

Just paint it regular ole black. No metallics, or blues, or anything else.
Gray out a few panels.
Use faded white wash on the wing tops and leading edges.

snowwhite.jpg
 
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